KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo City Commissioners are discussing how to use the funds they are expected to receive from the COVID Relief Bill.
During a virtual meeting Monday night, Commissioners said it would be about another month before they receive the expected $40.6 million in relief funds. The bill totals out at $1.9 trillion dollars.
Commissioner Chris Praedel says there will be no shortage of opinions about how to spend the money.
“I know we’ve already received a couple pieces of outreach from the community trying to give input and ideas about how to best use that,” Pradel said.
City Manager Jim Ritsema says that until they know what federal requirements will be attached to the money, it’s premature to talk about how to spend it.
“We’re still waiting for parameters and guidelines from the feds on what those dollars can be used for,” Ritsema said.
He says they will be receiving specifics on that from Washington later this month, and will brief Commissioners at their first meeting in June.
“We also are working on bringing to the Commission a recommendation of a process on how to allocate those dollars,” Ritsema added.
He says anyone with ideas can send them to Commissioners, and they have the “Imagine Kalamazoo” plan in place to guide them.
— John McNeil contributed to this reporting —
